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One World Renaissance: Holistic Planetary Transformation Through a Global Social Contract
In this masterwork, Dr. Glen T. Martin shows why our predicament requires the creation of a global social contract that can only be adopted through a profound philosophic shift to holism―the same evolutionary holism that has swept all of the world’s sciences. He explains why this new holism, if applied to global governance, would require a world federation under enforceable global law. Humanity can never flourish, Martin argues, unless we build a well-governed world that leaves behind our fragmented system of self-interested nation-states and global corporations bent on profit. In establishing his argument, Dr. Martin mines the thought of the world’s leading philosophers and social theorists to create an unprecedented synthesis―one that goes far beyond his previous books to reveal the way forward on the basis of a united planet with immense possibilities for a future global renaissance. EDITORIAL “Sweeps away the cloud of dust of selfishly motivated men in authority who divide the people and the nations, creating factionalism in every form of human activity. I congratulate Dr. Glen Martin for his learned, practical, and inspired effort for world unity.” ―The Honorable A. P. Misra, retired Justice of the Supreme Court of India “This book is visionary and appears at a time when the speed of change and the perceived failinigs of current institutions call out for just such a vision.” ―Marc Pilisuk, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Saybrook University; author of The Hidden Structure of Violence “Incredibly rich with insights, wisdom, and scholarship...this remarkable book offers profound solutions to our global predicament.” ―Barbara Marx Hubbard, futurist, author of Conscious Evolution ABOUT THE Glen T. Martin, PhD, is a professor of philosophy at Radford University in Virginia and chair of its Peace Studies program. Dr. Martin is president of International Philosophers for Peace, and president of the World Constitution and Parliament Association, the world's leading advocate for a constitution for a democratic federal world government. As a result of his decades of peace activities, Martin has received several international awards, including the "World Peace Award" from the Office of the World Peace Envoy in Bangkok, Thailand, 2008, and the Gusi International Peace Prize in Manila, Phillipines, 2013. He has also been nominated for the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award.
- GenresPolitics
436 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2015
About the author
Glen T. Martin
15 books14 followersGlen T. Martin, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy and Chair Emeritus of the program in Peace Studies at Radford University in Virginia, USA. He is President of International Philosophers for Peace (IPPNO) and President of the World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA), a worldwide organization that sponsors the Constitution for the Federation of Earth. He has traveled and lectured worldwide on behalf of the Earth Constitution and the philosophical foundations of emerging world law, as well as on behalf of WCPA projects such as sessions of the Provisional World Parliament and the development of a World Court system. He has received several international peace awards, including the GUSI Peace Prize International in Manila, Philippines, 2013. He has published hundreds of articles in popular as well as academic venues. He is author or editor of eleven books, including his well-known book, Millennium Dawn: the Philosophy of Planetary Crisis and Human Liberation (2005) and his latest book, Global Democracy and Human Self-Transcendence: The Power of the Future for Planetary Transformation (2018) (www.oneworldrenaissance.com). WCPA websites include www.earth-constitution.org and www.worldparliament-gov.org
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February 3, 2025
Truly one of the most profound, wise and very in-depth books I've ever read. It shows what are the STRUCTURAL roots that lead to all wars (as well as other societsl ills) and what can actuslly be done about this.
Right now, and for the last 370 years, since the westphalia agreement of 1649, we are living in a nation-state based "world order" (or a world disorder, more accurately) which is anti-wholistic, sectarian and destructive to the extreme, and which literally guarantees that we will forever exist in a state of division, conflict and war (for as long as this is the structural world "order" we live in). In this sectarian fragmentary God-forgetting "world order" the entire planet is divided into nearly 200 separate atomised units (nation-states) that are each armed to the teeth and are in competition with each other to secure their own narrow sectarian "NATIONAL INTERESTS".
They secure these sectarian "national interests" either through physical aggression or economic aggression or both, each atomised unit trying to selfishly grab as much it can for itself and its "national interests" in a dog-eat-dog type of world where the smaller units get destroyed exploited raped and eaten up by the bigger bullies. It is a "world order" of bullies. A world order which creates bullies and strongly rewards bullies. A "world order" which is based on the assumption of separation, enshrines division, rewards brutality, selfishness and competition as the "natural way of the things" and guarantees that we will forever live in a state of conflict and war (until we destroy ourselves in our egoic self-interest blindness).
The current war is a natural progession and expression of the nationalist sectarian "world order" we are living in. It could not happen if these weren't the basic rules the game and the basic assumptions that guide our civilization.
So what can be done? What is the solution to that?
Part of what the author suggests (and I wholly agree with his very wise perspective), the solution that no one seems to be talking about in these times of nationalist fervor and bloodthirst for war, division and collective psychosis, is to flip the rules of the game from a sectarian divisive atomised mentality into a wholistic perception and structure, a structure that will guarantee and celebrate national uniqueness and difference and at the same time will also guarantee that the national differences are NOT a source of conflict and competition and murder but rather are a source of enrichment of the human experience.
In other words, a united states of the earth, a federation of the earth. And in a minute I will give a more practical illustration of what exactly this means.
In my view, the profoundly wise solution he is proposing will create the structural conditions that would allow for a whole new way of living on this planet, a mature, joyous and sane way of relating and existing that leaves behind the insanity of division and murder and nationalist hatred that we live in now.
It shows how it is possible for nationalism and patriotism to function NOT as divisive destructive egoic unintelligent murderous force that inevitably leads humanity into a mentality of dog-eat-dog competition, sectatianism, antagonism and conflict, of one nation destroying others for its egoic "national interest" (which is the way our immature world system currently functions), but rather it shows how it is possible to create the structural conditions that will transform nationalism from a source of conflict into a source of enrichment, that will turn nationalism and patriotism from such a destructive sectarian anti-wholistic murderous unintelligent force that is dividing and separating humanity, into a force that enriches and contributes to the wellness and prosperity of humanity, NOT destroy humanity (as it does now).
In other words, it shows what are the structural conditions necessary that will turn national uniqueness from a force of antagonism, rivalry, sectarian aggression and exploitation into a force of contribution to the well being of the whole of humanity, to the richness of the human experience.
To say it differently (and please listen carefully to this part) - we can see how what he suggests has already been applied successfully on the national level, and then how it can easily be applied also on the planetary level. For example, look at a wholistic framework called 'the united states of america'. This federation prevents any particular state (a part within the whole) from declaring war and attacking another state, becasue they have been bound together in the same framework, in the same federation, and are demilitarised. No state is attacking, bombing, invading, plundering and exploiting another state, because they are bound together in one framework, in one federation. A state does NOT operate as an atomised selfish unit that is entirely and completely separate from other units. No state attacks other states and tries to grab as much for itself for its "national interests" at the expense of other units (states) in the greater whole (which is called 'the united states'). It doesn't do that becasue it is an equal part of a greater whole, of one federation, and so the other states are not its enemies but are its allies inside the same whole that they are both a part of. Like two cells operating inside the same body, the same whole.
In the exact same way, a wholistic framework that encompasses all the world's nation states (just like the United States encompasses all the states with in) will transform the relationship of the world's nation-states FROM being atomised egoic units who are antagonistic to each other and in competition with each other and who try to grab as much as possible for their own selfish "national interests" at the expense of others, INTO a relationship of friendly entities who are part of a greater whole, a greater federation, and who do NOT have antagonistic and conflicting interests, becasue the interests and well being of the whole is their own well being.
Do you see what a profound difference that makes? It completely changes the rules of the game from an immature sociopathic egoic one in which one unit feels that it must destroy others in order to secure its sectarian "national interests", into a mature sane relationship in which the uniqueness of each nation does not need to be in competition to other nations but are working together in cooperation because they are part of one whole, of one wholistic human federation of the earth (the united states of the earth, if you will)
In my view, this is the application on the macro level of the same wisdom and maturity that many of us have already realized on the micro level of personal relationships (that an immature sociopathic ego who acts to benefit only his/her "personal interests" with complete disregard of the damage and suffering he/she is causing others, will clearly create nothing but havoc, destruction, trauma and suffering all around him/her self) . Isn't it time that we applied what is obvious in personal relationship also to the macro level of the national ego, and stop acting like murderous sociopathic narcissists also on the national level?
In my view, what is suggested here will create the structural conditions that will allow for such maturing of the dysfunctional sociopathic nationalist ego and will create a PROFOUND DIFFERENCE in today's fragmented warring anti-wholistic sectarian dog-eat-dog divided world.
Please do read the following essay and give this careful consideration. In my view, this is profoundly important for life on earth
https://oneworldrenaissance.com/2022/...
That important essay above was quite short and didn't dive deeply into the actual roots of where this nationalistic separative anti-wholistic atomised mentality came from (the mentality that led to the divisions into nationalities in the first place, as well as to the separate egoic mentality on the personal level). This following profound and wise essay below does exactly that. Shows you the root of where the atomised fragmented nationalist mentality came from. Very very highly recommend
https://oneworldrenaissance.com/2021/...
PS. I know that there will be many people who will immediately jump, when reading this, and say 'but this is the one world government that the evil corporate globalists are trying to impose on us'. There is a lot say in response to that but the short answer is No, it is not. This is NOT a framework that takes autonomy away from nations or groups, erases differences and imposes uniformity, but exactly the opposite, it celebrates, protects and guarantees national uniqueness and differences, it only removes the atomised separative (unintelligent) structure that forces us to be in competition with each other and that pits us against each other. It turns national differences from a source of conflict and war into a source of enrichment and cooperation, it transforms us from separative atomise divided units in a completrly fragmented world, which are hostile and anatagonistic to each other, into collaborative units which are part of the same whole.
Just like cells in the body are different and unique - liver cells are very very different from kidney cell and have their own uniqueness - yet both cells, no matter how unique and different they are, are part of a greater whole called the body. Even though they are very different from each other, the different cells don't work against each other, are not antagonistic to each other, but rather they work in collaboration and harmony with each other, because there is a wholistic wisdom that guides them, it is a wholistic perspective that benefits the entire organism, the entire body.. this is precisely what the federation of the earth is, this one body with many unique and different cells within it.
Plenty more to say about all of this, but I'll leave it at that.. :-)
Right now, and for the last 370 years, since the westphalia agreement of 1649, we are living in a nation-state based "world order" (or a world disorder, more accurately) which is anti-wholistic, sectarian and destructive to the extreme, and which literally guarantees that we will forever exist in a state of division, conflict and war (for as long as this is the structural world "order" we live in). In this sectarian fragmentary God-forgetting "world order" the entire planet is divided into nearly 200 separate atomised units (nation-states) that are each armed to the teeth and are in competition with each other to secure their own narrow sectarian "NATIONAL INTERESTS".
They secure these sectarian "national interests" either through physical aggression or economic aggression or both, each atomised unit trying to selfishly grab as much it can for itself and its "national interests" in a dog-eat-dog type of world where the smaller units get destroyed exploited raped and eaten up by the bigger bullies. It is a "world order" of bullies. A world order which creates bullies and strongly rewards bullies. A "world order" which is based on the assumption of separation, enshrines division, rewards brutality, selfishness and competition as the "natural way of the things" and guarantees that we will forever live in a state of conflict and war (until we destroy ourselves in our egoic self-interest blindness).
The current war is a natural progession and expression of the nationalist sectarian "world order" we are living in. It could not happen if these weren't the basic rules the game and the basic assumptions that guide our civilization.
So what can be done? What is the solution to that?
Part of what the author suggests (and I wholly agree with his very wise perspective), the solution that no one seems to be talking about in these times of nationalist fervor and bloodthirst for war, division and collective psychosis, is to flip the rules of the game from a sectarian divisive atomised mentality into a wholistic perception and structure, a structure that will guarantee and celebrate national uniqueness and difference and at the same time will also guarantee that the national differences are NOT a source of conflict and competition and murder but rather are a source of enrichment of the human experience.
In other words, a united states of the earth, a federation of the earth. And in a minute I will give a more practical illustration of what exactly this means.
In my view, the profoundly wise solution he is proposing will create the structural conditions that would allow for a whole new way of living on this planet, a mature, joyous and sane way of relating and existing that leaves behind the insanity of division and murder and nationalist hatred that we live in now.
It shows how it is possible for nationalism and patriotism to function NOT as divisive destructive egoic unintelligent murderous force that inevitably leads humanity into a mentality of dog-eat-dog competition, sectatianism, antagonism and conflict, of one nation destroying others for its egoic "national interest" (which is the way our immature world system currently functions), but rather it shows how it is possible to create the structural conditions that will transform nationalism from a source of conflict into a source of enrichment, that will turn nationalism and patriotism from such a destructive sectarian anti-wholistic murderous unintelligent force that is dividing and separating humanity, into a force that enriches and contributes to the wellness and prosperity of humanity, NOT destroy humanity (as it does now).
In other words, it shows what are the structural conditions necessary that will turn national uniqueness from a force of antagonism, rivalry, sectarian aggression and exploitation into a force of contribution to the well being of the whole of humanity, to the richness of the human experience.
To say it differently (and please listen carefully to this part) - we can see how what he suggests has already been applied successfully on the national level, and then how it can easily be applied also on the planetary level. For example, look at a wholistic framework called 'the united states of america'. This federation prevents any particular state (a part within the whole) from declaring war and attacking another state, becasue they have been bound together in the same framework, in the same federation, and are demilitarised. No state is attacking, bombing, invading, plundering and exploiting another state, because they are bound together in one framework, in one federation. A state does NOT operate as an atomised selfish unit that is entirely and completely separate from other units. No state attacks other states and tries to grab as much for itself for its "national interests" at the expense of other units (states) in the greater whole (which is called 'the united states'). It doesn't do that becasue it is an equal part of a greater whole, of one federation, and so the other states are not its enemies but are its allies inside the same whole that they are both a part of. Like two cells operating inside the same body, the same whole.
In the exact same way, a wholistic framework that encompasses all the world's nation states (just like the United States encompasses all the states with in) will transform the relationship of the world's nation-states FROM being atomised egoic units who are antagonistic to each other and in competition with each other and who try to grab as much as possible for their own selfish "national interests" at the expense of others, INTO a relationship of friendly entities who are part of a greater whole, a greater federation, and who do NOT have antagonistic and conflicting interests, becasue the interests and well being of the whole is their own well being.
Do you see what a profound difference that makes? It completely changes the rules of the game from an immature sociopathic egoic one in which one unit feels that it must destroy others in order to secure its sectarian "national interests", into a mature sane relationship in which the uniqueness of each nation does not need to be in competition to other nations but are working together in cooperation because they are part of one whole, of one wholistic human federation of the earth (the united states of the earth, if you will)
In my view, this is the application on the macro level of the same wisdom and maturity that many of us have already realized on the micro level of personal relationships (that an immature sociopathic ego who acts to benefit only his/her "personal interests" with complete disregard of the damage and suffering he/she is causing others, will clearly create nothing but havoc, destruction, trauma and suffering all around him/her self) . Isn't it time that we applied what is obvious in personal relationship also to the macro level of the national ego, and stop acting like murderous sociopathic narcissists also on the national level?
In my view, what is suggested here will create the structural conditions that will allow for such maturing of the dysfunctional sociopathic nationalist ego and will create a PROFOUND DIFFERENCE in today's fragmented warring anti-wholistic sectarian dog-eat-dog divided world.
Please do read the following essay and give this careful consideration. In my view, this is profoundly important for life on earth
https://oneworldrenaissance.com/2022/...
That important essay above was quite short and didn't dive deeply into the actual roots of where this nationalistic separative anti-wholistic atomised mentality came from (the mentality that led to the divisions into nationalities in the first place, as well as to the separate egoic mentality on the personal level). This following profound and wise essay below does exactly that. Shows you the root of where the atomised fragmented nationalist mentality came from. Very very highly recommend
https://oneworldrenaissance.com/2021/...
PS. I know that there will be many people who will immediately jump, when reading this, and say 'but this is the one world government that the evil corporate globalists are trying to impose on us'. There is a lot say in response to that but the short answer is No, it is not. This is NOT a framework that takes autonomy away from nations or groups, erases differences and imposes uniformity, but exactly the opposite, it celebrates, protects and guarantees national uniqueness and differences, it only removes the atomised separative (unintelligent) structure that forces us to be in competition with each other and that pits us against each other. It turns national differences from a source of conflict and war into a source of enrichment and cooperation, it transforms us from separative atomise divided units in a completrly fragmented world, which are hostile and anatagonistic to each other, into collaborative units which are part of the same whole.
Just like cells in the body are different and unique - liver cells are very very different from kidney cell and have their own uniqueness - yet both cells, no matter how unique and different they are, are part of a greater whole called the body. Even though they are very different from each other, the different cells don't work against each other, are not antagonistic to each other, but rather they work in collaboration and harmony with each other, because there is a wholistic wisdom that guides them, it is a wholistic perspective that benefits the entire organism, the entire body.. this is precisely what the federation of the earth is, this one body with many unique and different cells within it.
Plenty more to say about all of this, but I'll leave it at that.. :-)
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